ESPA’s Levi: No Slight From Cuomo

Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Ross Levi insisted gay marriage advocates did not take offense over Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision not to address their lobby day rally today, sending LG Bob Duffy to represent the administration in his place.

“It’s impossible to say that this governor has not been fully in support of marriage equality; he has not been shy about it at all,” Levi told Fred Dicker on Talk 1300 just now.

Levi noted that legalizing same-sex marriage was one of the few social issues the governor mentioned in his State of the State address and also is one of just three agenda items he’ll be pushing on his People First Tour. (The others are ethics reform and a property tax cap – both controversial in their own way, but nothing like this hot-button topic).

This is a new level of commitment on the part of a governor, according to Levi, who pointed out that while former Gov. David Paterson made gay marriage a signature issue, he didn’t have nearly the clout or the popularity that Cuomo now enjoys.

Meanwhile, Duffy, who told the ESPA rally attendees this morning that people will flee the state if they are “denied a basic civil right” – just like they are departing in the face of ever-increasing property taxes – did not stick around to chat with reporters who were covering the event.

ESPA members will be fanning out throughout the Capitol complex today to lobby individual senators on gay marriage, paying particular attention, no doubt, to those Democrats (who are still here) and Republicans who voted “no” in 2009.

“All elected officials have to be looking around andthinking that there’s a political force out there that they have to be aware of,” Levi said. “…We will stand by our friends and take on those that we need to take on.”